Andrus Peat was called for a false start on the first play of the game – that set the tone for the evening.
The Pittsburgh Steelers didn’t just lose to the Los Angeles Chargers; they played as badly offensively as they possibly could have. They finished the game with just 221 yards of total offense, 65 of which came on their final drive when the result was already in hand for the Chargers. Before that final drive, the only points they had came on a 59-yard field goal – it was utter domination on the front
of the Chargers’ defense, and by far the worst game from Aaron Rodgers in a Steelers uniform.
Rodgers finished the game going 16-of-31 for 161 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. He was noticeable off all night, air mailing several passes, not looking comfortable in the pocket, and making uncharacteristically bad decisions with the ball. Rodgers took a safety on the Steelers’ third drive. When watching the play back, Pat Freiermuth is open on the shallow dig. Jonnu Smith had a chance to move the chains and get big yards that would have set the Steelers up deep in the red zone, but Rodgers overshot him, which led to a contested catch attempt that was ruled incomplete. On the second drive that resulted in a field goal, DK Metcalf got behind the defense, but Rodgers led him too far, and it fell incomplete. If there is one player the Steelers can’t afford to play poorly, it’s Rodgers, and he was bad all night. Per RBSDM Stats, Rodgers finished the game with an EPA per play of -0.50.
Additionally, the Steelers were abysmal on third down – a trend that continues to haunt them. They entered the week ranking 26th in third-down offense, and they rank 31st over the last three games – they were 2-of-11 on third down Sunday night. The issues on third down continue to kill drives, and if they can’t fix them, it will cost them more games and the division. That’s not to say they need to become a top-five unit on third down, but they need to get to at least league-average, especially when facing the top teams in the league.
Defensively, there was a lot to like. Pittsburgh held Justin Herbert to a negative EPA per play, and the Chargers only averaged 4.6 yards per play. The pass rush consistently got pressure on Herbert and sacked him five times. They held Los Angeles to going 6-of-17 on third down, and the Chargers had twice the number of penalties. The same way that the losses to the Bengals and Packers fell strictly on the shoulders of the defense, this loss falls strictly on the shoulders of the offense’s inability to move the ball through the air, and the failure to put the ball in the end zone when gifted with great field position multiple times.
If there is a silver lining, it’s that it would be difficult for Rodgers and the Steelers’ offense to play that poorly again, and that they’ll have a much easier challenge in Week 11 against a poor Bengals defense.
